Hudson's Southside Tap, the new restaurant and whiskey bar in southwest Iowa City, takes its name from the street — Hudson Avenue — that runs parallel to the west side of the building.

They also serve a burger called the Hudson — it has jalapeno cream cheese, jalapenos and chipotle mayo on it — along with eight other burgers named after nearby streets: Orchard, Miller, Benton, Douglas.

The goal of Hudson's Southside Tap, 482 Highway 1 W., is to establish itself as neighborhood bar and grill in the southwest side of Iowa City, where dining options are not as plentiful as downtown or the north side.

"There's a great niche to be carved out in this part of town," Cameron Wheatley, general manager of Hudson's, said earlier this week.

Opened about a month ago by owners Kevin Perez, Dan Ouverson and Ryan O'Leary,who also own Short's and Stella and Ride, Hudson's features an array of traditional sports bar foods made with local foods from local venues. The eatery uses ingredients that Wheatley promised are never frozen.

"They have experience running unique and successful restaurants in the area," said Hudson's server Lauren Shaefer, who has worked at two other chain restaurants in the Iowa City area. "And every single piece of food I bring to a table smells amazing."

The menu focuses on the expected foodstuffs that a sports bar is expected to provide: burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, sliders, appetizers, soups and salads.

But within each category are little twists of culinary ingenuity. The Bahn Mi sandwich features lemongrass marinated chicken, garlic mayo and mint. The Giblin burger features chili and sour cream on top. The underdog hot dog has jalapeno cream cheese and salsa on top. The wings are marinated in sriracha soy sauce before they're fried.

Although there is plenty of food, the number of different drinks available at Hudson's is more extensive. Wheatley had the drink numbers memorized: 40 beers on tap, many from Iowa breweries, 35 different whiskeys and bourbons, 25 different scotches.

"We are a unique, local restaurant bar that's, well, really a whiskey bar," he said.

With eight televisions hanging throughout the bar that can house about 80 people inside — 25 more when the outdoor porch area is open during spring, summer and fall — Hudson's has quickly shaped itself as a place to watch sports. Wheatley said that the wild success of the 11-0 Iowa footballl team has already helped established the restaurant as a place to watch football on the weekends.

"We get a lot of traffic after football games too," Shaefer said. "This year, they've been celebrating wins each time."

Along with a distinct decor, featuring steel beams throughout the restaurant, portraits of construction workers standing on unfinished skyscrapers, hardwoods for the walls and floor and a black-colored bar with illuminated shelves of hard liquor behind it, Shaefer knows that Hudson's has a unique style.

"There's really a Prohibition-style to it all," Shaefer said. "It's much more unique than the other restaurants I've worked at."

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com, or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.

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What: Hudson's Southside Tap, a new restaurant and bar in the south side of Iowa City.